After leaving the realm of intellectual property law alone for decades, and allowing the Federal Circuit 25 years of mostly undisturbed jurisprudence, the United States Supreme Court has strongly reestablished its presence over the past eight years. This year especially, the Court will hear a wide array of patent, trademark and copyright cases, setting the stage for 2014 to be a banner year for Supreme Court IP decisions. Now, more than ever, successful and effective IP practice will require close observance of the high court’s activity. To help, a synopsis follows of each case decided, or to-be-decided, in 2014.

CAN LACHES BE APPLIED WHEN PLAINTIFF IS WITHIN THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS?

On January 21, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Petrella v. MGM, a copyright infringement action involving 1980 boxing movie, “Raging Bull.” In its forthcoming opinion, the Supreme Court will address the applicability of laches to copyright infringement claims brought within the statute of limitations.

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.

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